Report from Dulverton Farmers Hunt P to P meeting held at Mounsey Hill Gate on Sunday 23rd May 2004. 

 

We have been up on Exmoor all weekend and have really enjoyed ourselves basking in beautiful weather and today here on Mounsey Hill the sun is still blessing us and we hope for a good turnout.  A small bonfire (aka a fag burning brightly!) can be spotted in the distance  which assures me that the Clerk of the Course is present and very busy as are his stalwart volunteers putting the finishing touches to the fences.  The course will race firm today as the past week of sunshine has taken any moisture out of the soil completely.

 

There are seven races on the card as the Open Maiden Race has been split already but by the occupancy of the lorry park it looks as though we may be short of runners here today and that is proved by the first race with only two taking part.  The Roberts's CHAPNERS CROSS (J Barnes) is to run a match with best turned out D Underhill's STATE MEDLAR (R Woollacott).  Well it turned out to be a non match as STATE MEDLAR finished alone in a time of six minutes fifty-five with CHAPNERS CROSS pulling up with sore shins.  A little for the bag but none for the tin as I failed to invest on this one.

 

Next came the Ladies Open Race and a couple more runners.  I fancied M Tizzard's FATHER JIM (C Tizzard) but it was Paul Nicholls's KANDY FOUR (C Roddick) that went off favourite closely followed by Mrs Goody's best turned out   FRANK BYRNE (A Goschen) with Ronald Francis's REGARDEZ-MOI (J Buck) the outsider of the field.  I noticed that the guardian of the bag had taken out a little and invested in FRANK BYRNE at a very sensible price.  KANDY FOUR made most of the running and it was not until three from home that Rilly on FRANK BYRNE made her move and gradually got the better of the favourite. Only two finished in this race and the winner FRANK BYRNE eventually came home a distance clear of KANDY FOUR with the others pulling up. Well done for the bag but the poor old tin is suffering.

 

Now comes the Men's Open race but again short of runners.  Five went to post with a clear favourite in P Maltby's RED NATIVE (A Farrant).  Again I didn't quite fancy this one and chose the jointly owned HAYDN JAMES (L Heard) to carry my investment.  Unfortunately S Prouse's best turned out  SHOBROOKE MILL unseated Darren Edwards so he was soon out of it on the first circuit but it was  RED NATIVE setting the pace and leading the field by two or three lengths as they went out past the judge for the first time.  Not much had changed when they went out on the final circuit with the favourite leading the field  at  good pace.  Second place was being disputed between HAYDN JAMES and HYLTERS CHANCE (Colin Heard) but always a few lengths back from the leader.  On the final bend and up to two from home HAYDN JAMES closed up on RED NATIVE and gave a good race to the line but was never able to get the better of him and the final verdict was RED NATIVE by a length from HAYDN JAMES with HYLTERS CHANCE 25 lengths back in third position.

 

Only two for the Intermediate Race as B Kilpatrick's CIMMAROON (A Farrant) was a late withdrawal which left J Brake's best turned out COMMANDER CULLY (M Sweetland) to challenge young Ricky Isgar on his second Point to Point ride onboard Kim Tripp's MISTER RF for The Diana Reed Memorial Cup.  A slow steady pace allowed MISTER RF to dictate and although COMMANDER CULLY did put in a late challenge it was not good enough to get past MISTER RF and so he went on to win by three lengths and to collect the silver.

 

Unfortunately the following three races, The Restricted Race, and two divisions of the Open Maiden races only attracted a total of eight runners with favourites winning them all.  The Restricted went to B Parsons's best turned out   BARTON SAINT (S West) who came home ten lengths to the good of the only other finisher,  MRS PEGGOTY (C Tizzard) and then in the Division one of the Open Maiden Race Caroline Prouse brought home R Grant's HARNAGE without any problems to beat the only other finisher, R Pike and M Howard's HAYLING STAR by at least twenty lengths with the third runner, Graham Brown's OVER THE WELD (Lucy Gardner) being withdrawn at the start. 

 

The final race of the day caused quite a considerable amount of mirth when first of all  the favourite of the two runners, the Beck's FOSTON SECOND (M Sweetland) refused to race at the drop of the flag and allowed best turned out R Grant's SPINNING SILVER (M Woodward) to get one fence clear before deciding now it was time to run.  Gradually ground was made up and as they passed the judge with two circuits to run they were going along sweetly together.  Over fence number seven, slowly but surely and on around the markers to pass the starting area out into the country again.  It was then spotted that SPINNING SILVER was taking a turn, so he obviously missed a marker and was going back to make things right.  This little slip up allowed the favourite FOSTON SECOND to gain a fence lead.  As the commentaries are carried out from two positions, the inevitable happened, one runner was in the eye of commentator number one and then there was Alfie down in position number two watching the other one.  Two commentators and two horses separated by several fences.  I am in the enjoyable position now as I backed the even money forecast of the order they would finish in as they were now running, irrespective of the distance in between them provided they both finished the course.  The favourite crossed the winning line with the second horse way back but receiving as much cheering as the winner.  No one was more pleased than me at the final fence when SPINNING SILVER fiddled over it then went on to manage the run in and completed the course.  I at last picked up a little for the tin.

 

Not the most exciting racing but this long spell of good weather has been unkind to racing surfaces and horses who do not appreciate firm going are obviously not available.

Next week we will see how the Exmoor get on at Bratton Down and the South Tetcott at Lifton so BE THERE!

 

Fred and Ruth